clatter
Americanverb (used without object)
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to make a loud, rattling sound, as that produced by hard objects striking rapidly one against the other.
The shutters clattered in the wind.
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to move rapidly with such a sound.
The iron-wheeled cart clattered down the street.
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to talk fast and noisily; chatter.
They clattered on and on about their children.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a rattling noise or series of rattling noises.
The stagecoach made a terrible clatter going over the wooden bridge.
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noisy disturbance; din; racket.
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noisy talk; din of voices.
They had to shout over the clatter at the cocktail party.
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idle talk; gossip.
verb
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to make or cause to make a rattling noise, esp as a result of movement
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(intr) to chatter
noun
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a rattling sound or noise
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a noisy commotion, such as one caused by loud chatter
Other Word Forms
- clatterer noun
- clatteringly adverb
- clattery adjective
Etymology
Origin of clatter
before 1050; Middle English clateren, Old English clatr- (in clatrunge ); cognate with Dutch klateren to rattle; -er 6
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A nationwide noise ordinance is supposed to limit the din, especially late at night, but residents say the courtside clatter often goes unmuted.
From Barron's
He’s jury-rigged a burglar alarm with foam so it makes a clattering sound loud enough for the neighbor’s Ring camera to pick up, he said.
From Los Angeles Times
That does not mean a defender cannot be sent off if they try to stop a shot and clatter into an attacker.
From BBC
The scene is a family dinner in which ordinary household noises — the scrapes, plunks and clatter — and speech are pitched at irregular volumes and lack directional focus.
From Los Angeles Times
England lost six wickets for 39 runs in 11 overs, including 3-0 in six deliveries, continuing the clatter of wickets across the opening two days of the series at Perth Stadium.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
